The University of Vermont Health Network

Growth From Grief: Louella Richer I always say I got my master’s degree for myself, not for my future career. After my parents both died of cancer in 2009, I needed to learn new ways to process what I’d been through. I chose to study how to release grief and trauma using embodied practices. This work became my passion, and I soon found myself reading every book imaginable on how the body and mind react to stress and loss. While at Goddard College, one of my advisers suggested I incorporate memoir writing into my research. I studied autobiographical writing and started doing it myself. I learned about narrative healing, trauma and how the brain works when we experience grief and trauma. Soon I started meditation and became a certified yoga instructor, tools that helped me heal from these experiences. That’s when I became involved with End of Life Services, a hospice care agency that was integrated into Porter Medical Center in 2021 and which I now lead. As a student at Goddard, I asked End of Life Services if I could facilitate workshops using expressive arts and writing as a part of their grief support services. They agreed but also suggested I do their 30-hour hospice volunteer training program. So I began running these workshops and volunteering. It became my whole life. Over time I became friends with the woman who ran the more traditional, talk-based grief support groups. She’s the main reason I moved out of retail management, which had been my career for 25 years before Porter. She told me about the position I’m in now when it was posted. I was hesitant because I didn’t think I had the right management experience, but she used her stern voice and said, “You will apply.” I’m glad I listened because now I’m in this unique position where my hobbies and personal passions are my job. What do I do outside of work? That’s tricky. There’s no “outside” for me, not really. My interests, my intellectual life, my creative endeavors – they’re all connected to helping people cope, heal and grow as they navigate these fundamental but very challenging parts of life. Louella Richer is the manager of palliative support services at Porter Medical Center.

⛷️ Protect your knees and hips 🦵 with the Lateral Squat! Build strength for sharp turns and dynamic trails. Watch this quick demo from Physician Assistant Helen Hollenbach!

Riding the Dragon: Mary Cicaloni Cancer made me into an athlete. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I came to Vermont in the 1970s to take my first job as a nurse at Central Vermont Medical Center. About 10 years ago, I joined Home Health & Hospice as an intake and referral nurse. Our team works together to welcome new patients and understand their needs so our clinicians can start caring for them. I am a survivor of breast cancer – an experience I share with my mom and two sisters, who were also survivors. As I healed, I yearned to meet more people like me – people who understood the challenge I’d overcome and what it felt like to come out the other side. At UVM Medical Center’s annual breast cancer conference, I learned of Dragonheart Vermont, a dragon boating organization based in Burlington that originally started with a team of breast cancer survivors. I was drawn to the sense of togetherness, so I gave it a try. Joined by 20 ladies in a single dragon boat, we paddled back and forth along the Burlington waterfront, flanked by other dragon boats powering through Lake Champlain’s cool summer waters. All told, about 75 of the crew members were “sisters” – fellow breast cancer survivors. Another 125 were people who just love to paddle and work together. In the dragon boat, I found camaraderie, forged by shared experience, banter and a drive to win. We paddle together and we paddle hard. In the boat or on the job, I love teamwork. In the 10 years since my first paddle, I’ve become an athlete, an advocate and a national champion. Our boat won gold in three divisions at the national championship last year and our team recently returned from Ravenna, Italy, where we finished 6th at the Dragon Boat World Championships. Many of our club members are in their 60s or 70s – our oldest sister is 92. None of us want to slow down. This sisterhood has given me newfound confidence in my body, and I’m healthier than ever. Even my doctor tells me: “Don’t stop paddling!” Mary Cicaloni, RN, is an intake and referral nurse at Home Health & Hospice, where she has worked for 10 years.

Rony Lahoud, MD, has helped hundreds of people with faulty heart valves go on to enjoy longer, healthier lives. Now he and his structural heart team colleagues are establishing UVM Medical Center as an early leader in an innovative, minimally invasive procedure to repair tricuspid heart valves. Hazel Winter was struggling with debilitating shortness of breath caused by a faulty tricuspid valve before she became one of the first patients in the region to undergo Tricuspid Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair with Dr. Lahoud. She was back on her feet in less than 24 hours. "I feel like a person again," says Winter in between snuggles with her dog, Gracie. "I can't believe the difference this has made already. It's a game changer." Read Hazel's story: https://lnkd.in/geS-cpfz

Core strength is key for balance on the cross-country ski trails ❄️! Try the Dead Bug to improve stability and reduce back pain. Watch as Helen Hollenbach, PA, from CVMC Orthopedics and Sports Medicine shows you how!

The norovirus—commonly called the stomach bug—is making the rounds this season, but you can stay safe by following these tips from our Infectious Disease Physician at UVMMC, Tim Lahey, MD, MMSC.

Rural communities in Vermont and northern New York face many of the same health challenges common throughout rural America – patients are growing older, suffer from more chronic disease and struggle with unmet mental health needs. More than three quarters of Americans living in rural towns struggle to access adequate health care, and they are dying younger than their urban counterparts.

Full Circle: Melody Wolcott Looking after a toddler isn’t most people’s idea of a relaxing retirement activity, but that’s what I want to do. I’ve been working since I was 14 years old – I was a dishwasher at Silver Towers Camp in Ripton. Now I’m finally getting close to retirement and what I’m looking forward to most is taking care of my granddaughter more often. She lives up in St. Albans, which is about an hour and a half away from where I live. Family has always been a big part of my life; it’s the most important thing to me. I’m the oldest of 8 kids. I grew up taking care of babies and little kids, cooking, and keeping an eye on everyone. When we were young, our family lived in New Haven and Shoreham. We mostly kept to ourselves, so my siblings were my playmates and best friends. When I see my granddaughter playing, I remember going out in the woods with my brothers and sisters. We spent so much time outside making forts and using our imagination. We were farm kids, and the outdoors was our playroom. The same thing happens when I see my daughter parenting. Lots of memories of raising her with my husband, who used to work at Porter with me, and lots of memories of my own parents, who both passed away a couple of years ago. Swimming is something else I want to do more of when I retire. I started swimming as a kid going to Branbury Beach at Lake Dunmore with my parents. We would spend hours boating and swimming, and we would have a picnic. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. I miss my parents, but I still feel close to them. I brought my kids to Branbury, too, and we will bring my granddaughter once she gets a little older. That’s one of the things I love about family: It keeps you connected. I have lived in Addison County my whole life. I’ve worked at one place almost my entire career. This is my home; I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. But it’s not just the place that’s important, it’s the people, the relationships. It’s the memories and the way past, present and future are all wrapped up in one another here. Melody Wolcott is an Environmental Services Tech at Porter Medical Center. She has been with us since 1979.

Hit the cross-country ski trails with confidence this winter! Physician Assistant Helen Hollenbach from CVMC Orthopedics and Sports Medicine shares simple exercises to build strength, improve stability, and keep you injury-free all season long. Watch now and ski stronger! Check back each Thursday for new episodes in the series!

As we honor the life, achievements and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. today, it is important to consider how his example can guide us in the present moment. Carla L. Carten, PhD, the UVM Health Network Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, highlights one lesson that she says is foundational to the creation of the UVM Health Network: “We are stronger working together, with love and understanding for one another.” This principle and Dr. King’s example can be the compass we use to keep ourselves on track. “As we navigate the complexities of modern American life, let us hold on to the timeless values he championed, ensuring that our progress is guided by compassion, understanding, and unity,” Carla says.